Foote rejigs team for Georgia Test

June 30, 2026 8

Junior Springbok head coach, Kevin Foote, has made wholesale changes to his side for Thursday’s second-round World Rugby U20 Championship clash against hosts Georgia in Tbilisi.

Only four players from the starting XV that opened the tournament with a convincing 104-7 victory over Uruguay last Saturday retain their places, with two of them shifting positions for the encounter.

JD Hattingh is the only forward to retain his starting spot, while backs Hendré Schoeman, Luan Giliomee and Markus Muller remain in the run-on side.

Giliomee, who started at fullback against Uruguay, moves to flyhalf, while Muller shifts to inside centre.

Regular captain, Siphosethu Mnebelele, returns to the starting front row at hooker and will pack down between props, Oliver Reid and Danie Kruger, with Hattingh and Heinrich Theron named as the lock pairing.

The three loose forwards are flankers, Wasi Vyambwera and Luke Cannon, with Kebotile Maake at No 8.

In the backline, Jack Benade, starts on the left wing, with Samuel Badenhorst and Muller forming the midfield combination. Cheswill Jooste is on the right wing, while Akahluwa Boqwana slots in at fullback.

Foote said rotation was always part of the plan given the short turnaround between pool matches.

“We are fortunate to have a quality squad that has played together several times already this year. Player load management is one of the key aspects of a tournament of this nature, and squad rotation plays a very important role in that regard,” said Foote.

“We were very happy with Saturday’s win, but after a thorough review of our performance against Uruguay, there are a few areas we are targeting to improve.

“Georgia are a very strong set-piece side and a physical opponent. Having played them a couple of times already this year, we know exactly what they are capable of.”

The #JuniorBoks team for their second #JuniorWorldChampionship clash on Thursday against Georgia show a number of rotational changes – more here: https://t.co/Ls1dlF2Xse 🔄#JourneyToGreatness pic.twitter.com/8S5aPysSFR

— SA Junior Rugby (@SAJuniorRugby) June 30, 2026